Piano Man Song by Billy Joel Analysis See the attachment .. it is about music writing. Your favorite song and stuff like that.. 500words Bonus Paper Specif

Piano Man Song by Billy Joel Analysis See the attachment .. it is about music writing. Your favorite song and stuff like that.. 500words Bonus Paper Specifications
Due Saturday, June 8, 11:59 pm
Purpose
•
With this paper you will practice analyzing music. You will also work on your
writing skills, specifically on transferring what you hear into accurate, descriptive
prose.
Instructions
•
Copy/paste the portion of this document entitled Template and Example (below)
into your own new, blank document and delete everything that is not in bold print.
•
Choose a song you would like to analyze (you will provide a Youtube link in your
paper).
•
Review the relevant sections of the Terminological Starter.
•
Write a 500-word paper broken into five sections as indicated below. (Note: the
template itself does not contribute to the word count.)
Grading
•
Paper 1 is worth 100 points, broken down as follows:
o Sections 1-5 are each worth 20 points:
ü 0-8 points: the terms in question are clearly understood (the key to
scoring highly is not restating definitions, but rather using them in
such a way that it is clear you have grasped their meaning).
ü 0-8 points: you cite specific moments in the song in support of
your analytical observations, and, at least once in each section, link
those observations to the expressive goals of the song (or explain
that there are no expressive connections to be made in a given
case).
ü 0-2 points: I can hear what you describe.
ü 0-2 points: your English is up to the task.
•
Deductions:
o Papers under the 500-word minimum will lose 15 points. (Why a standard
deduction here rather than a sliding one? Because the shorter the paper,
the more likely it will also lose points in the other categories described
above.)
Template and Example
3 Important notes:
• Remember to remove everything that is not in bold print.
• The example I have provided adds up to considerably more than 500 words;
I simply wanted to give you lots of guidance.
• While you’re writing less than what I have below, you should nevertheless
strive for specificity. Good papers don’t simply name traits, but argue
(briefly) for their presence in the music.
Name:
Song Title, Group, and Youtube Link:
Example:
“Marcie,” by Joni Mitchell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVxZSp1QN9I
Section 1: Duple or Triple Meter (or both or something else): explain which you
hear and how/where you can hear it. Locate at least one syncopation and one
instance of dotted rhythms, or state unequivocally that there are no such instances.
Example:
This song is clearly in duple meter. I hear one measure of duple meter for each
line of the lyrics. In the first line the word “Marcie” comes just after beat one and
“coats” lands on beat three; then in the second line, “stops” comes just after beat one,
“candy” on beat three. Having said that, the vocal part is so fluid that it is sometimes
hard to hear the meter there; it is the very regular guitar part that provides the accents
necessary to identify the meter. I hear the guitar play the lowest note of the harmony on
every first beat of the measure. There is constant syncopation in the vocal part as a result
of the metrical fluidity mentioned earlier. For one example of many, listen to Mitchell’s
delivery of “PEA-ches” at 1:27; “Pea” arrives just before the third beat, and is thus by
definition syncopated. While the song contains no extended passages in dotted rhythms,
isolated cases of the latter are scattered throughout. At :23, Joni Mitchell sings “Greens
are sour” to the rhythm of long-short-long (plus another long), and in so doing repeats the
guitar-melody first heard at :03.
Meter does not always function expressively in a song, but in the case of
“Marcie” it is not hard to hear how it plays a role in advancing the meaning: the
regularity of the beat as established by the guitar allows Joni Mitchell great freedom to
declaim her poetry in the fluid style already mentioned. This fluidity in turn becomes her
chief means of prioritizing the syllables of the text. Sometimes she rushes, whereas other
times she lingers, always according to the meaning. Once again, the expressive effect is
dependent on the regularity of the meter.
Section 2: Major and/or Minor Harmonies: explain which you think you hear,
where in the song, and why. Be sure to clarify if you’re labeling the entire song as
major and minor or simply a specific moment. Identify moments of consonance and
dissonance.
Example:
Despite the fact that this is a very sad song, it is usually in major harmonies. (We
have learned that on rare occasions, major can be even sadder than minor; in this song the
major harmonies create a bittersweet quality.) Every second line ends on the major tonic,
in my opinion. An exception to this “major” orientation is the B section that begins “And
summer goes…” Here Mitchell shifts briefly into minor, which seems to reveal most
directly the sadness underlying the song.
If the song ultimately defines a major key, it is nevertheless ambiguous in its
major/minor orientation; while lines end in a clear key, they seldom begin there. And
then there is this B section with its different (and minor) key altogether. The song is
about Marcie’s uncertain waiting, and it seems to me that the way Mitchell hints at keys
without firmly committing to them helps to express this uncertainty.
In class we learned that consonance tends to exude stability, while dissonance
leans in the opposite direction. Mitchell uses dissonance very skillfully to keep us ill-atease, just like Marcie. For example, at the end of the B section, she holds the word “sea”
on a single note over a series of harmonies, some of which are dissonant against that
pitch.
Section 3: Conjunct and/or Disjunct melody: locate one or both of these melodic
styles within the song (be specific about where), and explain why you think you’re
correct. Address melodic shape as well.
Example:
During most of the song the melody is very conjunct. It is as if Joni Mitchell
lacks the energy to make big leaps. The first line, “Marcie in a coat of flowers,” is
entirely conjunct, in fact. Above I mentioned that “And summer goes” shifts the song
temporarily from major into minor harmonies; likewise, it brings some temporary
disjunct motion that has the similar effect of revealing the true pain behind the song.
Listen for the big leaps at the words “brown paper.” The melodic shape can be described
as a) small rising lines that b) repeat ever lower. The opening seconds with the guitar
solo define this motion, as do the verses that follow. This too is expressive, for Marcie
carries on her day-to-day activities with hope (hence the little rising lines) while
ultimately leading a sad existence (conveyed by the slow drop in these rising melodic
lines).
Section 4: Homophony and/or Polyphony: locate one or both of these textures
within the song (be specific about where), and explain why you think you’re correct.
Example:
“Marcie” is nearly entirely homophonic. The listener’s focus is on the words as
delivered in the vocal melody. Everything else is purely accompanimental, with the
exception of the little rising guitar melody that sometimes connects the end of one line of
lyrics to the next. You can hear this at :28, and since the rising guitar melody is copying
the vocal melody, you could call this imitative polyphony.
Section 5: Other: choose at least one term from the Terminological Starter and
explain where you think you hear it in the song and why. You can also discuss
musical traits not found on the Terminological Starter if you wish.
Example:
I will briefly discuss 1) rubato and 2) the chord progression behind the verses.
Joni Mitchell infuses nearly the entire song with rubato. If you tap the beats, you can tell
that she speeds up and slows down, sometimes falling behind the beat and sometimes
rushing ahead of it. A good example of this comes at around :38 at the words, “Dust her
tables.” The chord progression throughout most of the song descends; each harmony
drops one step lower than the previous one. This conveys the depressing nature of the
lyrics.

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